


Anchor

by Niisa1912



Series: Safe Haven [2]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), Resident Evil - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Feelings, Guilt, Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Survivor Guilt, mentions of events from 5, mentions of wesker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-22 21:56:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21083711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niisa1912/pseuds/Niisa1912
Summary: Partners: As kids you most likely remember getting assigned a partner for a project. In high school, the right partner could make or break the assignment. It isn't often that partners get along well especially when random; but sometimes, sometimes there are those few assigned partners that develop a bond that can't be matched.





	Anchor

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter to a mid-long sister-fic i'll be starting. It will coincide with "Forever For You" and be part of my "Safe Haven" series. You don't need to read the other fic to understand whats going on, but it would help with fleshing out the universe its in. Let me know what you guys think c:
> 
> also garbage summary is garbage. am not good at words

**September, 2009**

\--

A knock at the door was what pulled Jill from her novel. Slightly annoyed, she placed a bookmark on her current page and rested it next to her thigh. She sat up straight in her bed, head cocked to the side while she looked at the metal door carefully. “Come in.”

Slowly the door creaked open and a familiar mess of hair poked through the opening followed by a  _ gorgeous _ face and two giant arms creeping in. Jill’s stony glare turned into a bright smile as Chris creeped in, sharing the same kind of smile on his face. In each of his hands he held a cup of yogurt with various fruits In them. “Special delivery for a Ms. Valentine? I hear they're allowing the prisoner a visitor and final meal of choice?” He chuckled as he walked in fully. 

Jill turned her body completely toward the door, her full attention on her long-time friend and colleague. “Hm. I don't recall wanting yogurt as my ‘final meal’.” She held her hand out to get her cup from him. 

“Well it's what the doctor and other geniuses upstairs said you could have.” he shrugged.

“That's boring.” She fake whined, happily dipping the plastic spoon into the sweet. “But beggars can't be choosers I guess, I'm  _ starving _ .”

Chris sat next to her and watched her as she ate her only other meal that day. The cords and tubes still vaguely hooking her to the machine next to her bed was still an uneasy sight for him. The rhythmic beeping still indicating she was in fact alive. She couldn't help but see him through her peripherals. 

“You’re not gonna eat, Chris?” she said with a mouth full of fruit. 

“I am, just a little distracted is all.” His tone was soft, almost sad.

“Well stop being distracted and eat. And don't be all mopey either.” She was only half serious, but she really didn't want Chris to be upset. It's been a few months since her hospitalization started, and she could only wish she could say it was easy. Unfortunately it was a different kind of hell that she wasn't used to. There was no real privacy and she swore she would throttle the next person that stuck a needle in her somewhere that  _ wasn't _ her arm. 

Chris gave a slight chuckle and presumed to eat his cold treat. “Everyone's been asking about you, ya know. Wondering when you'll be able to get 'back into the action' as they call it.” he shrugged. “Sheva was pretty excited at the idea of being able to actually work with you.” 

Jill watched him as he somehow made a mess of his yogurt, bits of white gunk falling onto his jeans and on his green T-shirt while he spoke. She nodded and hummed in agreement as she ate hers. “I know, I'm eager as well but unfortunately everyone here is too worried about it being too soon.” She licked at the stickiness that formed on her lip. “Besides, I can barely stand nowadays without feeling lightheaded. Maybe I need time before going back to kick B.O.W ass.” Chris smiled at that and pressed a hand against her leg and squeezing softly. They continued to eat their small snacks as Chris went on about the goings on in the outside world. 

Everyday was the same routine: wake up at 0600 for a light breakfast, tests and vitals check at 0700, physical therapy at 0730 until 1030, light lunch until 11:30, more tests till 1300 and then talking to a psychiatrist from 1400 to 1600. In between, different sets of nurses would come in and out to check on her and make sure she didn't suddenly die or turn infected within the hour of when she was lasted checked. Then from there she was free to do whatever she wanted, except literally anything. She's limited as to where she can go and what she can do since everyone is just terrified of what may happen if she were to accidentally trigger herself; they were just as lost about the depth of her situation as she was. 

As annoying as it all was, she can't exactly say she blames them. Wesker held her captive for years, _experimented _on her for _years_. Made her commit such _heinous _acts that she would never dream of doing on her own accord. All of the awful bloodshed she had caused or ordered to happen, and all of the _terrible _experiments he _did_ _on her_. 

Her mind had suddenly taken a turn for the worse and she froze, as though she had accidentally uncovered deep parts of her mind that had since blocked off these especially traumatic events; the spoon in her hand fell to the ground with a loud  _ clack _ , the yogurt slipping from her hand and landing in between her thighs. Soon her breathing became increasingly erratic and her body temperature was skyrocketing; as though someone had blasted the heat in her room and caused her to break a sweat. A warm liquid covered her cheeks as the room became blurry and lopsided; she was crying but she didn't feel like she was, her mind completely separated from her physical being but still oh so aware of her emotions. She didn't even realize that she was screaming bloody murder until she saw Chris's face in front of hers, pain written all over his face as strong hands gripped her trembling shoulders tightly.

“Jill, are you okay?? Talk to me, Jill!” His voice was filled with a certain kind of agony that she wishes she could take away, yet she was the cause of it. “Jill, honey, please say something!”

It took awhile for her to collect herself again, to stop shaking and stop panicking. For a moment all she could  _ see _ and  _ hear _ were the cries of the people she infected or killed with uroboros. For a moment all she could  _ remember _ was the never-ending pain she went through in those awful experiments. The sharp, electrifying pain she felt in her chest whenever she had  _ remotely _ started to come to. Reliving everything again and again in a horrible, endless loop. It was a hell she never wanted to go through again, one she wished she could wipe from her memory.

Soon enough, Chris held her in his strong arms and she just allowed herself to rest there, rest into the crook of his neck and breathe in his scent, letting it soothe her as best as she could and pull her from the nightmare she landed herself in, bringing her back to the present; In that brief moment, he was her anchor. This was exactly why she was here, why she was under such strict surveillance. It was her rehabilitation from something no human should ever have to endure. 

There was deep sobs coming from the man in front of her and she slowly turned her head to peek at him. “Chris?” She asked hoarsely. 

“God, Jill. I didn't want this to happen to you…” his tears fell onto her shoulder and back as he held her tighter. “If only I had come to get you sooner, or been strong enough to kill him sooner you wouldn't be…”

_ No, please. Don't blame yourself for this.  _

“Chris..” She mumbled. “It's not your fault, it's not your burden to bear. You  _ killed  _ Wesker. And  _ saved  _ me in the process. I'm still alive because of  _ you _ .” A hand crept up his back, weakly pulling at his shirt as she clung to him as she pleaded with him, her voice raspy now. "Please Chris.."

"But...You're only like this because of-"

"Because I couldn't just _watch_ that _bastard_ _kill_ my _partner_." She cut him off, pulling from his embrace to look him in the eye. "Chris, I don't regret what I did. Even with all that happened after, even though _this_ all sucks right now, I will _never _regret making that jump." She wiped the stray tears that rested on his cheek and attempted a weak smile. "He had a use for me, that's why I'm still alive. I don't know if it would have been the same for you. Don't. Blame. Yourself." She emphasized each word, hoping to get it through to him. Far too many tragedies have happened to last them both a lifetime, each one he blamed only himself; she wouldn't let him carry this, not while she's still around. 

The silence that filled the room was suffocating and she wondered what was going on in his head; he only watched her with tired eyes, deep in thought. Soon, he pressed his forehead against hers and sighed reluctantly. "I'm sorry, Jill."

"Stop apologizing. I'm happy to see you, really " She whispered, closing her eyes as she felt the warmth against her head. It was comforting. A knock at the door grabbed their attention as the knob turned slowly as a petite woman in white scrubs appeared. 

"Mr. Redfield? Visiting hours are over now." She said sweetly as she watched the two let go of their embrace. Jill flushed when she realized their positions and tried to crawl back to where she originally was on her bed. 

"Alright," he nodded at the aid and turned back to Jill. "Would it still be okay for me to visit you? Did I cause...you know…" his voice was desperate and shaking, as though he were afraid of her answer. 

"No, it wasn't you. I promise." Jill reassured him, patting his shoulder gently. "Of course you can, I look forward to seeing you."

That seemed to do it, at least for now. Trying a smile, despite how exhausted he suddenly looked, he squeezed her arm and then stood up while gathering the empty yogurt cartons and spoons. "In that case then I'll be seeing you later."

Hugging her knees to her chest, she sent him another smile, wider than the last one. "I'll see ya,  _ partner."  _

It was low, but as he left through the doorway, he stopped and shook his head before glancing back at her briefly then leaving.

" _ Partner _ ." 


End file.
